Gears 5: Release date, gameplay, trailers and more

Gears of War 5 is the next entry of Microsoft’s critically acclaimed third-person shooter series, and it seems to be taking things in a surprising direction. While you still spend plenty of time behind walls firing at bad guys, a greater focus on story means characters will finally have a chance to shine.

The reveal trailer from Microsoft’s E3 2018 press conference provided us with a detailed glimpse at a narrative filled with drama, depth, and potential for some brilliant locations to visit. For example, things look much larger in scale compared to Gears 4, which can only be a good thing.

Gears 5 Story – What’s going on?

Gears of War 4’s story hit the same beats as its predecessors. We had the gang of soldiers surviving in a harsh world, the return of the Locust and we ever saw the death of a loved one in a very similar fashion to Dom’s wife.

Much of Gears 4 can be traced back to the original trilogy, and the setup for Gears 5 was laid clear at the climax of 4 where Kait, heartbroken, clutches her grandmother’s necklace. We now know that the game will indeed follow her as she embarks upon a much more personal mission related to this mysterious keepsake.

We also get the post-credit sequence of Oscar Diaz fighting his way free from a Snatcher in Gears 4, proving that he’s alive, and will hopefully return in the sequel.

Gears 5 gameplay – What can we expect?

Based on all previous Gears games, we can expect the same intense and incredibly violent third-person shooter action. However, as our wishlist will address, we hope The Coalition is prepared to mix things up a little.

Gears 5 – What we’d like to see

Take more risks

Gears of War 4 was good but felt very familiar to the Gears games we’ve already seen. So much so, that in prolonged play sessions it could become repetitive and ‘samey’.

With The Coalition taking over developmental duties from Epic, we hoped that we’d see an evolution of the formula and some brand new innovations to gameplay that would keep series veterans on their toes.

As this was the first Gears game from the team, not colouring outside the lines can be forgiven, but for the sequel we want to see the team really make their mark. Whether that comes in the form of new mechanics, locations, character types of even controls, we don’t care, as long as it feels fresh.

Genuinely new weapons and enemy types

While we were greeted to new weapons and enemy types in Gears of War 4, you’d have to squint to notice any difference between them and what we’ve been blasting and chainsawing for the past decade. Outside of the robots, many of the enemies either looked or behaved like past foes. Once again, The Coalition needs to do something new.

While there were new weapons not all of them were very good, so the reliance on the shotgun and Lancer remained on Gears 4. In 5 we’d like to see new weapons that feel genuinely useful and increased ammo pickups for the more exotic items.

Kill Marcus Fenix

The Coalition teased the prospect of killing off Marcus in Gears 4, but didn’t deliver. While cameo appearances are fun and entertaining, they feel too much like a safety net and were a burden on the new trio from emerging and developing.

For this new trilogy to fully flourish and JD, Kait and Del to become as memorable as the likes of Cole Train. Unfortunately, in our mind, for this to happen Marcus has to bite the bullet.

However, Fenix Sr. should go down in the most spectacular fashion possible. We’re talking the biggest explosion in the belly of largest beast. Die as the hero we never deserved, wearing the sweatiest doo-rag in the history of man.

Get rid of Horde in the campaign

Those Horde defence modes were overused in Gears 4’s campaign and ended up feeling cheap. Get rid and introduce new gameplay ideas that keep us invested. As soon as Marcus grabbed that Fabricator, we let out a sigh. More ideas need to be invested in the campaign, please.
Matchmaking for co-op campaign

Playing the Gears campaign in co-op has been a staple of the series since its inception, but it didn’t work very well in Gears 4. Though the game had a public mode, it didn’t let you start the game on your own and have other players jump in later. This, plus a tendency to ignore your difficulty and level choices made public campaign co-op a frustrating experience.

Having drop in/drop out co-op play would be a massive bonus for the next entry.

What would you like to see from Gears 5? Let us know on Facebook and @trustedreviews.